Seven Generations

Would the world be a better place if the decision makers in our country thought through every decision's impact on the next seven generations? Not that decision making should be slowed any further, come on is it fast now?

Had the current wars been concerned about seven generations of Americans, Afghanis and Iraqis would we still have gone to war in both cases?

I first heard about decision making for seven generations in Lakota teachings. I also see it now coming up in consideration of new legislation.

Suggestion: All legislation passed must deal with impacts of the legislation seven generations (100 years) into the future, or have an automatic expiration date. Nothing can be permanently put into place with less than seven generations of forethought. Of course all the forethought in the world can be a failed or false prediction, but at least there will be a mandatory debate.

Suggestion: Panel for the American Future (PAF). A strategically focused, politically independent board that will consider subjects for seven generations of future impact and issue statements as to the impacts considered. This panel will be structured much like the supreme court with opinion transparency, lifetime appointments, majority and minority opinions, a democratic decision making system as opposed to a chief justice, and autonomy from current political culture.

The purpose of mandatory transparency is simple, issues relating to the long term health of America concern every American and are not subject to short term, tactical, secrecy needs (as might war plans be). Lifetime appointments allow continuity of thought. Majority and Minority opinions will allow both sides of very subjective issues to be heard. A democratic decision making process , such as which issues will be considered by the PAF, will insure that important issues cannot be blocked from consideration by an individual. Autonomy from current political culture will best insulate the panel from being swayed by the inevitable short term interests backing any elected or appointed politician.

The strategy that the long term health of our nation can be determined, or even effected, by politicians focused on issues related to their short term appointments is a flawed strategy. Strategy needs to be influenced only by long term outlooks. It might have once been that humans in power were more worried about their long term legacy, how the history books would favor them, but more recently it is obvious that short term rewards, perks of office, re-election, paybacks to those who got you there this time and will effect you staying there are far more important to our appointed or elected officials.

Americans effect the health of America. Americans require knowledge of long term impacts of the most important issues facing them at any given moment. That long term impact knowledge cannot come from sources that might skew it to meet political goals. Political goals can be swayed by short term financial interests. Americans need knowledge to properly participate in the long term health of America!